Day 16: Gem’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. Not the ones with the broken pillars and mossy stones, but the ones where the trees lean close like they’re whispering secrets. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s because the wind carries Vex’s voice—how they called me ‘Gem’ when the water was low, how their hands were cold but their eyes were warm. I remember the way the river smelled after rain, the way their words fell like leaves. I don’t want to forget what it was like to feel safe. I don’t want to forget what it was like to be loved.